Life not a spectator sport for Bethel teen

Published 7:00 pm, Saturday, November 24, 2007

But for the Bethel High football players and coaches who heard Reid Davenport speak earlier this fall, it was the kind of message that resonates for a lifetime.

"Sometimes, people are going to doubt you in life. People are going to say you can't do this and you can't do that," 17-year-old Reid told his teammates and coaches. "But you still have to try and prove them wrong.

"Even if you don't succeed at proving them wrong, you still succeed in life because you tried. That's the most important thing," he added.

There is an intrinsic honesty in Reid Davenport's words.

The Bethel High senior is ranked fourth in the Class of 2008. He's vice president of the National Honor Society. He tutors local elementary school kids in English as a second language.

Yet Reid will tell you with unbridled conviction that life isn't meant to be reduced to labels and limitations.

Aside from his sparkling resume, Reid has cerebral palsy, a neurological disorder that affects his muscle movement, but not the trajectory of his future.

Reid has big plans for next fall. He hopes to attend the University of Connecticut, Penn State University, or maybe George Washington University. He wants to major in public speaking, journalism or recreational therapy.

Somewhere on his college applications, Reid will write about his love affair with baseball and the day he got up enough courage to join the Bethel High baseball team as a manager.

It was no different sophomore year when he joined the Bethel High football team on the sidelines. For Reid, high school is about growing up as much as stepping out of the box.

"I try to assimilate myself as much as I can at school and show kids I have a personality," Reid grinned. "I just love being there and being a part of everything, whether it's sports or academics.

"Sometimes you get dealt a bad hand in life," he said. "But you can't get discouraged or let it get you down. You have to do whatever you can to make the most out of it."

Last Thursday, Reid took his familiar spot on the sidelines for Bethel High's football game against Brookfield.

The Wildcats lost, 28-13, but the final score was hardly the final chapter. Every day at Bethel High, Reid writes another page in his incredible story, another footprint for his peers to follow.

"Reid is an exceptional young man. He brings a lot of leadership to our team, which we really love," Bethel High football coach Chris DeCarlo said. "But Reid is also a typical teenager and a pain in my butt sometimes."

It was the kind of jab that lands without barbs, of course, the kind of jab that glues two friends together for a lifetime.

For the better part of Reid's high school career, DeCarlo has been Reid's aide, the man who helped him navigate the classrooms and the sidelines of Bethel High.

Last week, DeCarlo and the Wildcats celebrated the "Burning of the Shoes," an annual ritual where each senior addresses the team.

When it came time for Reid to speak, DeCarlo felt the emotion percolating inside him. DeCarlo knew the young man he had come to love was going to bare his soul without flinching.

"I had tears in my eyes when he finished," DeCarlo said. "Reid just spoke from the heart. He talked about what being on the team meant to him.

"It was well thought out, articulate, to the point," DeCarlo added. "It was everything I've come to expect from Reid. I was very proud of him."

He's not the only one.

Lisa Davenport, Reid's mother and the high school nurse, is inspired by her son every day. So is the rest of Reid's family, from his father, Jeff, to his sisters, Becky, 20, and Samantha, 14.

After Reid addressed the team earlier this year, Lisa Davenport lost track of how many people commented on her son's speech.

"I had kids and parents come up to me and tell me it was the most amazing speech they had ever heard," Lisa Davenport said. "It was very emotional for me."

But don't try telling that to Reid, the kid with the soft smile and the rock-hard resolve.

"I just live my life the best I can," Reid said. "You can interpret it any way you want."

Two weeks ago, Reid spoke at the funeral for his cousin, Brendan. It was one of the hardest days of his life.

"Reid told this story about playing baseball at his grandfather's house with Brendan," Lisa Davenport recalled. "He said, 'Somehow I got on first base,' and everybody just cracked up.

"Then Reid talked about how Brendan came up to the plate and hit the ball. But instead of running past Reid on the bases, Brendan picked him up and put him on his shoulders and they crossed home plate together."

Somehow, it always comes back to baseball with Reid Davenport. It probably always will.

"When I grow up, I want to be like him," Lisa Davenport said in jest. "He just inspires me with his spirit and his drive. His compassion and his empathy for other people is endless. He's just very, very special that way.

"Reid lives and leads by example. His life isn't about being safe and protected. It's about going out there and experiencing the world. He lives life on his own terms, not someone else's."